Before My Eyes Go Blind: Complete Recordings

Four CD set. Emerging from the ashes of Southend-based late '60s psych-pop crew Cardboard Orchestra, heavy rock band ZIOR were one of the first acts to attach themselves at the turn of the decade to the occult-themed heavy rock element of the British underground scene. Although ZIOR never really threatened to replicate the commercial success of brand leaders Black Sabbath, their live shows were hugely theatrical events involving mock-sacrifices, staged fights and diabolic costumes and masks that terrified their young audiences and apparently freaked out other bands as well! They also left behind three albums that have been wildly collectable for many years. Their self-titled debut set ZIOR was issued in 1971 by the Nepentha label in a highly atmospheric gatefold sleeve design by the legendary Keef. A year or so later, Nepentha boss Larry Page put out the German-only release Every Inch A Man, an equally thrilling collection. Sandwiched between those two albums, ZIOR also pseudonymously recorded the LP The First Monument, which was promoted as the work of members of a witches' coven in downtown Essex. All three albums, plus ZIOR's 2018 reunion album Spirit Of The Gods, are now collected for the first time on Before My Eyes Go Blind, a 4-CD set that's presented in a clamshell box with replica album sleeve wallets, a lengthy new essay on the band and a number of evocative, previously unpublished photos.